Saturday, January 16, 2016

On Life and Death and Life Again

Jean Sexton muses:

Sometimes I think we take our life for granted. Plans may be made for when we die, but most of the time those plans are for a remote possibility. I was no exception. The sun rose and fell, I walked The Wolf and went to work, I came home and goofed off with Wolf. Yes, I had a procedure that led to surgery and a diagnosis of cancer, but the surgery took all the cancer out of my body. I expected to have more frequent doctor visits, but assumed my life would return more or less to normal.

All of that changed early on December 28. I couldn't catch my breath and finally called 911. The fact that the hospital admitted me proved the call wasn't frivolous. They pulled fluid off from around my lungs and we thought I was on the mend until it all went dreadfully wrong on Wednesday morning. My nursing team and surgeon saved my life, the nursing team by calling my surgeon and my surgeon by bringing me back twice. I was fortunate that he has experience in internal medicine and critical care medicine in addition to gynecological oncology.

I am lucky to be alive. Part of me is scared by how closely the Angel of Death came to me that day. I know that I must have more to do and more to learn since God saved me and granted me life. I just have to figure out what all that entails. I believe it includes sharing with all of you, including the fun parts of the Star Fleet Universe. I also believe I have much to learn from you.

For now, my activities are limited. I am tethered to oxygen for as long as it takes for my lungs to heal. I am not driving until we determine if what caused me to stop breathing was a one-time thing controlled by medicine, or something more permanent. (The MRI gives me hope that I'll be driving in a few months as there is nothing structurally wrong with my brain.) There are a lot of studies and appointments scheduled to see if there is an underlying issue that needs fixing.

Am I frustrated by the slow progress? Yes! I want to be working and bringing the SFU to you. I need to do more cross-training, so you are not left high and dry in the future. I want to walk Wolf. And I want it all right now. But part of my lesson is to learn to accept baby steps in my progress. I spent over two days in ICU and over a week more in the hospital. Now I have spent a week at home, resting, recovering, and learning to cope with the restrictions. The important thing is I will recover.

Thank you all for the support and understanding you have offered during this extended situation. It is greatly appreciated.

What else would I like from you? To continue helping each other by giving answers to gaming questions either on our page on Facebook or on various fan pages. To offer a kind word to those who need it. To hug someone you love and share that love. In short, I want you to be the wonderful, kind, terrific people I believe you are.

As for me, I will appreciate this second chance at life. And I will be back with you as soon as I am able. Stay with us; there are great things coming.

About Me

Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. is a game-publishing company that creates and publishes games based on the Original Series of Star Trek. We have a contract with Paramount Pictures to do so. Posts and blogs that are not directly related to gaming are the opinions of the individuals who write them, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc.